Homeward Bound (song)
"Homeward Bound" | ||||
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Single by Simon and Garfunkel | ||||
from the album Sounds of Silence (UK), Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (US) | ||||
B-side | "Leaves That Are Green" | |||
Released | January 19, 1966 | |||
Format | 7-inch | |||
Recorded | December 14, 1965 | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 2:42 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Simon | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Johnston | |||
Simon and Garfunkel singles chronology | ||||
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"Homeward Bound" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel written by Paul Simon and produced by Bob Johnston. The song was released as a single on January 19, 1966 by Columbia Records.
The song appears on the duo's third studio album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), although it was recorded during the sessions for their second album Sounds of Silence and included on that album in the UK. It was their second single, the follow-up to their enormously successful breakthrough hit "The Sound of Silence". It performed very well domestically, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the charts for 12 weeks. Internationally, the song performed best in Canada, where it hit number two; it was also a top five hit in the Netherlands.
A live version of the song is included on the compilation Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, and it was also performed during the duo's legendary 1981 reunion, The Concert in Central Park.
Contents
Background[edit]

"Homeward Bound" was written by Paul Simon after returning to England in the spring of 1964. He had previously spent time in Essex, and he became a nightly fixture at the Railway Hotel in Brentwood, beginning that April.[1] He was reeling from his brief period in the Greenwich Village folk scene, as well as the recording of his first album with Art Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., which he anticipated would be a failure.[2] During this time, he met Kathy Chitty, who was working as a ticket-taker at the club. The two hit it off instantly, but it became clear that Simon desired to perform in London, resulting in an emotional farewell.[2] Following a performance in Liverpool, Simon was at Ditton Station, part of the Widnes Loop Line and the train to London. He had been missing Chitty's company and he began to write "Homeward Bound" on a scrap of paper.[3]
Chitty is mentioned in several other Simon & Garfunkel songs, most notably "Kathy's Song" and "America". In their 1969 hit "The Boxer", Simon alludes to a railway station, a possible reference to "Homeward Bound".[4] Simon is quoted as saying "[i]f you'd ever seen Widnes, then you'd know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible."[5]
Chart performance[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 48.
- ^ a b Eliot 2010, p. 49.
- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 50.
- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 103.
- ^ Backtrack - BACKTRACK BRIEFS . . . Northern Echo (Darlington); 21 November 2008; Mike Amos; p. 11
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 27 May 1966
- ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ "ChartArchive - Simon And Garfunkel". archive.is. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2016-07-22.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 2, 1966
- ^ Musicoutfitters.com
- ^ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966
Sources[edit]
- Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
- Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
- Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- 1966 songs
- 1966 singles
- Songs written by Paul Simon
- Simon & Garfunkel songs
- Burl Ives songs
- Richard Barnes (musician) songs
- The Beau Brummels songs
- Cher songs
- Petula Clark songs
- Ronan Keating songs
- Jack Jones (singer) songs
- Janie Fricke songs
- Glen Campbell songs
- Song recordings produced by Bob Johnston
- Columbia Records singles
- Songs about touring
- Songs about trains
- Songs about London